Throwback Thursday: Vintage Gift Guide

Not sure what to buy a loved one this Christmas? We suggest paper towels — well, we did suggest paper towels, back in 1939. Take a break from the holiday rush to read the full list of gifts we recommended almost 75 years ago.

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Dec 5, 2013

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By Helen W. Kendall from the December 1939 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

In talking with our friends about Christmas, we've discovered that nearly every one of them boasts of a friend or relative who has the happy faculty of finding just the right gifts — gifts that ring the bell. We like to think that you can select a host of such gifts from our tested-and-approved list. Here are some of them.

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1. A group of well-styled cooking utensils — heatproof-glass casseroles, the pioneer in kitchen-to-table cookery; a Dutch oven of gleaming aluminum; and a covered, stainless-steel saucepan, lovely enough to take its place at the table. Just the right gifts for the new Christmas bride, or for friends who place so much emphasis on their hospitality.

2. The answer to that ever-recurrent search for gifts to tuck into Mother's stocking. Smart and gay, too. Bright, cheerful dish towels, dishcloths, and novel pot holders are offered in profusion. The quaint little pitcher-shaped pot holders were "made by loving hands." You can make them, too, if you are clever.

3. Another small, yet most welcome gift — faucet spray attachment that can supply either a full stream of water without splashing it all over the sink, or a steady spray for washing vegetables.

4. A nice collection of measuring cups from our tested-and-approved list. The heatproof-glass cup is a "must" for the drip-coffee maker. The 2-cup size is particularly useful for a large family.

5. A thermometer will help many a roast or batch of fudge or layer cake to reach the ultimate point of perfection. The oven thermometer is a suitable gift for the user of a range without a heat regulator. With the candy thermometer cake icings can be made with never a fear for their success. The new meat thermometer will be much appreciated by the woman whose husband wants his roast beef done exactly right.

6. An exhibit of gifts made of paper. Paper dusters, paper towels, paper cups for picnics and luncheons, paper pie plates, shelf paper and edging — all these will delight the young modern housekeeper because of the time and labor they will save her. Every Christmas someone we know gives a case of paper towels to a friend who wouldn't be without them and for whom Christmas wouldn't be Christmas until that box arrived, with its welcome, useful load.

7. This belongs to the group of more-important gifts that we choose for well-loved members of our family. Last Christmas the wife of one of our staff members received this very present — a portable sewing machine. Although her family was a bit humble about so prosaic a gift, her pleasure in using it throughout the year set their minds at rest about its appropriateness.

8. An electric oven is an important gift for many a kitchen lacking oven facilities. In the same category come many other fascinating electrical devices — roasters, waffle bakers, toaster sets, and heat-regulated irons. They never fail to bring joy.

9. Santa goes into the laundry with suggestions for three inexpensive gifts. The sprinkler is for redampening those little frills that dry out before you have a chance to iron them. The sleeve board, though not new, has revived in popularity since the coming of puffed sleeves. The ironing-board cover can be fitted on the board without pinning or tying tapes. Perhaps you know someone whose laundry accessories leave much to be desired.

10. A gift to make someone happy for years. We would never have thought of including an electric ironer among our Christmas gifts, because to us it seems a necessity rather than a luxury. But a member of our staff is saving up to give an electric ironer to a married sister. And why not? We have approved ironers of both the rotary and the flat-plate type.

11. What we call a royal gift. If you were to travel through our laboratories, you would see this stool and kitchen chair in a variety of colors. The combination of color and chromium gives our kitchens a smart touch. The chair is an excellent addition to the laundry. It provides a comfortable place to sit at your ironer — with a comfortable back support. So we pass on this suggestion to you. And we hope that all our hints will simplify your Christmas shopping.